File tray with compressor or follower



P 4, 1956 J. F. REIMER 2,761,454

FILE TRAY WITH COMPRESSOR OR FOLLOWER Filed NOV. 20, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheetl INVENTOR. t/OH/V A PE/mE/e W,A,AMMLZM p 4, 1956 J. F. REIMER 2,761,454

FILE TRAY WITH COMPRESSOR OR FOLLOWER Filed Nov. 20, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet2 L g g l Q; N; N 1 E tlili E- I L INVENTOR. L/OH/V E QE/MEE QM, dbw AMUnited States Patent FILE TRAY wnn COMPRESSOR 0R FOLLOWER John F.Reimer, Manitowoc, Wis., assignor to Invincible Metal Furniture Company,Manitowoc, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application November 20,1953, Serial No. 393,297

2 Claims. (Cl. 129-30) This invention relates to .a file tray withcompressor or follower.

The conventional compressor usually locks in notches in the tracks uponwhich it is guided. Due to manufacturing limitations, these notches arespaced at least one eighth inch apart. The compressor cannot be set intocompressing position in any intervals which are less than the notches inwhich it locks.

In the present device, an arcuately bent steel spring engages anunnotched surface with a wedging action and is released by flexing itsfree ends away from such surface. Accordingly, infinite adjustment ispossible and the compressor may be set to the most desirable positionwithout any regard for any prescribed positions. Yet the lock becomesabsolutely positive and may be released with the utmost facility. Thecompressor, moreover, is self-adjusting to equalized position betweenits guide rails.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view in perspective showing a tray or drawerwith its rear wall cut away to expose the compressor.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed view in transverse sectionthrough the drawer, a portion of the compressor being shown in rearelevation.

Fig. 3 is an exploded view in perspective of the component elements ofthe compressor.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of one end of the compressor and theassociated guide rail of the tray showing the parts as they appear inlocked position.

Fig. 5 is a view taken in section on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the compressor lever andspring manipulated to release position.

Fig. 7 is a view taken in section on the line 77 of Fig. 6.

The tray or drawer may be conventional, comprising a body portion 8having a front wall 9, false front 10, sides 11 and 12, and the usualrear wall (not shown). The sides are formed outwardly at 13 andreversely folded downwardly upon themselves to provide a rectangularmarginal bead at 14. Between the margin 14 and the shoulder 13 is achannel in which guide rails 15 are mounted as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The compressor comprises a front plate 21. To this is fastened a rearplate 22 to which other parts are assembled as herein after described.While the connection of the plates might be made in any manner, I engagethe top of the rear plate 22 beneath the overhanging flange 23 of thefront plate and fasten the plates together at their bottom margins bymeans of bolt 24 threaded through the bottom flasge 25 of the frontplate.

Before these parts are connected, I mount on the back plate by means ofscrews 26 the arms 27 which carry the sliding shoes 28 which engage theguide rails 15 and slide thereon. Also mounted on back plate 22 is flatspring 30 which passes through the slots 31 of the back plate as clearlyshown in Fig. 1. The length of the spring and the curvature to which itis forced by passing through the slots, are such that its ends arebiased into engagement with the inner surface of the guide rails 15 andslide thereon. The spring is perfectly free to adjust itself through theslots 31 so that the pressure of its respective ends on the respectiveguide rails will be equalized.

The ends of the spring are necessarily rearwardly divergent from theends of the back plate 22 of the compressor. Between the ends of thespring and the ends of the back plate extend the legs 33 of a compressorlever having a beaded handle portion 34 which extends transversely ofthe tray or drawer at a level slightly higher with that of the frontplate, where it is conveniently accessible. Each of the legs 33 has arearwardly projecting ear 35 which is in substantial engagement with oneof the ends of spring 30. Offset lugs 36 at the lower ends of the leverlegs 33 are engaged in slots 37 with which the back plate of thecompressor or follower is provided.

Such engagement provides a fulcrum upon which the lever is readilymanipulated between its normally upright position of Fig. 5 and itsspring flexing position of Fig. 7.

With the parts assembled as shown, the bias of the spring 30 is suchthat its ends engage the guides at the sides of the tray with suflicientpressure so that they will not slip thereon. Any rearward pressure onthe compressor simply wedges the spring ends the more tightly to holdthe compressor securely against rearward yielding movement in the tray.However, if the operator uses the lever handle 34 to swing the leverslightly rearwardly from its Fig. 5 position to its Fig. 7 position, theears 35 of the lever engage the free ends of the lock spring 30 to flexsuch spring slightly rearwardly as in Figs. 6 and 7, thereby disengagingthe ends of the spring from the guide 15 and leaving the compressorperfectly free for manipulation along the guide, its shoes 28 slidablysupporting it for such movement.

At any point at which the rearward pressure of the handle 34 of thelever is released, the bias of spring 30 will restore it and the leverto the position illustrated in Figs. 1, 4, and 5. This locks thecompressor in any one of the infinite number of positions to which it isadjustable.

It will be understood that the word compressor has been usedinterchangeably with the word follower in the foregoing description andthe word tray has been used to include a sliding tray or drawer as wellas a tray for desk top use. It is not desired to limit the invention toany specific application or structure except as defined in the followingclaims. The locking principle may be widely used in various types ofdevices by using a bowed spring slightly exceeding in length the widthof the confined space in which the spring is operable, such space herecomprising the space between the parallel guides of the tray.

I claim:

1. The combination with a tray having guide rails along its sides, of acompressor mounted on said guide rails and provided with means forclamping it to the tray in an infinite number of positions ofadjustment, the compressor comprising a plate transversely spanning thetray and provided with shoes in bearing engagement with respectiverails, spring means comprising a strap having an intermediate portion,means for mounting said strap on said plate and comprising means to holdsaid intermediate portion against substantial flexing with respect tosaid plate, oppositely projecting free ends of said strap being biasedtoward a position of spread in which the overall distance between suchends slightly exceeds the spacing between said rails, said free endsbeing resiliently flexible away from the plate in a direction to reducethe --Batented.Sept. 4, 1956 overall spread between them sufiiciently toclear said rails, the said free ends wedging between the rails to resistrearward movement of the compressor when the said spring ends engage therails, and levers pivoted to the plate anddispcsed between the plate andthe respective spring ends for deflecting said spring ends from theirrailengaging positions toward positions of rail disengagement, saidlevers having offset lower end portions and said plate having slots inwhich said lower end lever portions are inter-lockingly engaged, wherebysaid levers are fulcrumed respecting the plate, the said levers having acommon handle extending along the top margin of the plate and connectedto upper free end portions of said levers for hand operation of saidlevers in a direction longitudinal of the tray to swing said levers onarcuate paths 1 transverse to said plate.

2. The combination with a tray comprising sidesv having guide rails, acompressor having bearing shoes slideable upon the respective rails, thecompressor comprising front and rear plates in mutual connection, therear plate being provided with slots, a flat spring threaded through theslots of the rear plate and curved against its tension to dispose anintermediate portion thereof against said front plate and portionsthereof against the rear plate adjacent said slots, said spring havingfree end portions projecting divergently rearwardly from said plate andof such overall length as to be normally engaged with opposite portionsof said rails, lever means intervening between the plate and the freeend portions of the spring and carrying handle means above the spring,said lever means being in pivotal connection beneath the plate below thespring, and having rearwardly projecting thrust elements engageable withthe spring ends upon manipulation of the handle means to deflect thespring ends from guide rail engagement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

